Sheet Material for Use in the Treatment of Hair

Abstract

Sheet material (1) for use in the treatment of hair, the sheet material having a upper end and a lower end, the upper end comprises means (5) for releasably adhering the sheet material to the hair on a person's head adjacent to the roots of a portion of hair to be treated, wherein the upper end of the sheet material is provided with at least one loop (3).

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to sheet material for use in the treatment of hair, and in particular to a sheet material facilitating colouring of hair.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

When colouring or highlighting hair it is necessary separate out hairs into strands. This is because when colouring hair it is normal practice to colour only some of the hairs, and by separating the hairs out into strands selected strands of hairs can be coloured to achieve a particular desired effect.

It is known to use flexible sheet materials to isolate strands of hair selected for colouring from other hair and the scalp. Typically, strands of hair to be coloured are first selected using a well-known hairdressing technique known as “weaving”. A length of liquid impermeable material is then positioned underneath the selected strands to effectively isolate the selected hair from the remaining hair. The barrier material is generally between 5 and 8 cm wide and of a length greater than or equal to the length of hair being treated. The top edge of the material is positioned underneath the hair to be treated, as dose to the scalp as possible. The edge of the material adjacent the root is provided with an adhesive. The hair roots are pressed against this adhesive to secure the material in place so that the colouring or other treatment substance can be applied to the hair without damage to surrounding hairs or the scalp. The lower half of the sheet material is then folded back on itself to cover the treated hair with the lower edge of the film aligned with the adhesive at the top to secure the material in place.

The lower half of such material is usually a thin transparent film, as this allows the stylist to check development of the hair colour during the course of the treatment. The top half of the material which lies underneath the hair may also be of a similar thin film, or may be a heavier and often translucent sheet material. Thin films are very flexible and are difficult to position quickly and accurately underneath the hair to be treated, especially for a stylist working on their own and using one hand to hold the selected hair and one hand to insert the sheet material. Heavier sheet material may be less flexible and slightly easier to insert under the hair, but the increased weight may cause it to slip down the hair during treatment exposing other hair to the dye. Heavier weight films are also more expensive to manufacture.

Also, in known sheet materials used for colouring hair, before use the sheet material is generally in a folded configuration with one end of the material adhered to the adhesive provided on the opposite end. Before use the sheet material must be unfolded and the adhesive exposed. As the lower thin film is peeled away from the adhesive the end becomes curled and distorted. After applying colour to the hair, it is then more difficult to quickly re-align the lower end of the film with the adhesive on the upper end when the lower end of the film is distorted in this way. It would be desirable to provide an improved sheet material for use in the treatment of hair which does not suffer the disadvantages of the above-described apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a sheet material for use in the treatment of hair, the sheet material having a upper end and a lower end, the upper end comprising means for releasably adhering the sheet material to the hair on a person's head adjacent to the roots of a portion of hair to be treated, wherein the upper end of the sheet material is provided with at least one loop.

Preferably the sheet material is provided with one loop. Preferably the loop is formed by a fold of sheet material that is adhered to the underside of the sheet material.

Preferably the two layers of sheet material forming the loop are adhered together by means of a heat seal. Advantageously the seal does not extend across the full width of the sheet material. This allows the tail of a tail comb to be inserted into the loop more easily.

According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the sheet material is a transparent film. It is preferred that the sheet material is formed of a liquid impermeable material, which may be a plastics material. The sheet material may be resistant to chemicals.

Preferably the means for adhering the sheet material to the hair is a strip of adhesive material extending substantially across the width of the sheet material.

The adhesive material may be protected by folding the sheet material upon itself and covering the adhesive material with the lower end of the sheet material.

Alternatively, the adhesive material may be protected by means of a removable protective strip. Use of a protective strip is advantageous as the lower end of the sheet material is not distorted by removing the protective strip. It is then quicker and easier for a stylist to align the top and bottom edges of the material after treatment has been applied to the hair.

Preferably the adhesive material is a pressure-sensitive adhesive. Any suitable commercially available, pressure-sensitive adhesive may be used, the principal requirements being that the adhesive is firmly but releasably adherent to hair.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method of treating hair using the sheet material as specified above.

The method comprises the steps of selecting the hair to be treated; removing the protective strip from the adhesive material; inserting the tail of a tail comb into the loop at the upper end of the sheet material as hereinbefore described; using the tail comb to place the sheet material close to the scalp underneath the hair to be treated; applying the treatment to the hair and then folding the sheet material upon itself over the hair and securing the lower end of the sheet material to the adhesive at the upper end of the sheet material.

The sheet material of the invention is particularly advantageous as it allows a stylist to quickly and accurately position the sheet material close to the scalp underneath the hair to be treated using a tail comb. Another advantage of the invention lies in the fact that by providing a protective strip on the adhesive material the lower edge of the film remains undistorted and can be easily aligned with the top edge during application.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a sheet material for use in the treatment of hair, wherein the upper end of the sheet material is provided with at least one loop and does not include adhesive for releasably adhering the sheet material to the hair.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention, and which are by way of example:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the underside of the sheet material showing the loop at the upper end;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet material in FIG. 1 viewed from the front showing the adhesive at the upper end;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet material in FIG. 1 viewed from the front showing a protective strip covering the adhesive;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the sheet material shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of the sheet material in use with a tail comb inserted through the loop;

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the sheet material applied to the head; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the sheet material shown in FIG. 6 with lower half of the sheet folded back over the treated hair.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a long strip of thin film 2. At the upper end, the film 2 is folded over to form a loop 3 on the underside of the sheet material 1. The two layers of film 2 forming the loop 3 are sealed together, preferably by a heat seal 4. In the preferred embodiment, as shown in the drawings, the heat seal does not extend across the full width of the sheet material.

On the front face of sheet material 1, at the upper end of the sheet, there is a strip 5 of pressure sensitive adhesive material. In a preferred embodiment the strip 5 of adhesive material is covered by a removable protective strip 6 as shown in FIG. 3 to protective the adhesive prior to use. In an alternative embodiment, the strip 5 of adhesive material is protected by folding the sheet material and securing lower end 9 of the sheet material 1 to the adhesive 5 at the upper end until the sheet material 1 is used. In yet another alternative embodiment of the invention, the strip of adhesive material 5 may be omitted to provide a sheet comprising a strip of film 2 having a loop 3, which is secured to the hair using an alternative means such as a hair clip.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 7, when using the sheet material 1, the hair stylist first weaves the hair to select the strands of hair 8 to be treated. The stylist then removes the protective strip 6 from the upper end of the sheet material 1 to reveal the adhesive strip 5, and then inserts the tail 11 of a tail comb 7 into loop 3. As the heat seal 4 does not extend across the full width of the sheet material it is very easy to insert the tail 11 into the loop 3.

The sheet material 1 is now inserted firmly underneath the hair 8 and close to the scalp using the tail comb 7 to aid positioning. Roots of hair 8 are then pressed against adhesive strip 5 to secure the sheet material 1 in place. Tail comb 7 is then removed. Hair colour or other hair treatment is now applied to the hair 8. The thin film 2, which may be a plastics material, protects hair that is not to be treated from the colorant or other hair treatment product The thin film 2 is liquid-impervious, and preferably resistant to chemical degradation.

After the treatment has been applied to the hair 8, the lower part of the sheet material 1 is folded over the top of the hair 8. The lower edge 9 of the sheet material 1 is aligned with the upper edge 10 and the top layer of film is pressed against the adhesive strip 5 on the lower layer to secure the two layers together. The steps are then repeated on another section of hair.

Sufficient time is allowed to elapse for development of the colorant or other hair treatment and then each sheet material 1 is unfolded and removed from the hair to allow the treatment to be washed out of the hair.

Claims

1. Sheet material for use in the treatment of hair, the sheet material having a upper end and a lower end, the upper end comprising means for releasably adhering the sheet material to the hair on a person's head adjacent to the roots of a portion of hair to be treated, wherein the upper end of the sheet material is provided with at least one loop.

2. Sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein, before use, the adhesive means is covered by a removable protective strip.

3. Sheet material as claimed in claim 1, wherein, before use, the adhesive means is covered by a part of the sheet material.

4. Sheet material as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the loop extends across a major part of the width of the sheet material.

5. Sheet material as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the loop comprises an opening at at least one side to allow a tail of a tail comb to be inserted radially into said opening.

6. Sheet material as claimed in claim 5, wherein two layers of the sheet material are folded to form the at least one loop, the two layers being adhered together across a major part of the width of the sheet material, and wherein the opening comprises a portion at one side of the loop where the two layers of sheet material are not adhered together.

7. Sheet material as claimed in claim 6, wherein, the two layers of sheet material are adhered together by means of a heat seal.

8. Sheet material as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the means for releasably adhering the sheet material to the hair comprises a strip of adhesive material extending substantially across the width of the sheet material.

9. Sheet material as claimed in claim 8, wherein the adhesive material is a pressure-sensitive adhesive.

10. Sheet material as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sheet material is a transparent film.

11. Sheet material as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sheet material comprises a liquid impermeable material.

12. A method of treating hair using sheet material as described in any of claims 2 to 11, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) selecting the hair to be treated;

(b) exposing the adhesive material;

(c) inserting the tail of a tail comb into the loop at the upper end of the sheet material;

(d) using the tail comb to place the sheet material close to the scalp underneath the hair to be treated;

(e) applying the treatment to the hair;

(f) folding the sheet material back over the treated hair; and

(f) securing the lower end of the sheet material to the adhesive at the upper end of the sheet material.

13. Sheet material for use in the treatment of hair as shown in and described with reference to the drawings.